Services

The Overview of PCA Program

The State of Minnesota has several programs designed to help older adults and persons with disabilities live in community settings rather than in institutions. The Personal Care Assistance (PCA) Program, administered by the Minnesota Department of Human Services, is one such program. Personal care assistance (PCA) services provide assistance and support for persons with disabilities, living independently in the community. This includes the elderly and others with special health care needs. PCA services are provided in the recipient’s home or in the community when normal life activities take him or her outside the home.

PCA Services

Personal care assistance services help a person with day-to-day activities in their home and community. PCAs help people with activities of daily living, health-related procedures and tasks, observation and redirection of behaviors and instrumental activities of daily living for adults. PCA services are available to eligible people enrolled in a Minnesota Health Care Program. Personal Care Assistant, PCA Services, are a type of Home Care Service that helps people in Minnesota with their non-medical health related needs and day-to-day activities. The goal of Personal Care Assistant Services, as with other home care services, is to help people live independently in their own homes and in the community as opposed to a facility. PCA Services are available to individuals of all ages with special health care needs and are a paid benefit under Medical Assistance. health care PCA Services can be provided through the fee-for-service program, Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) waiver programs, or through prepaid health plans MA, UCARE, BSBC..etc

PCA Activities:                                              

  • Activities of daily living: including eating, toileting, grooming, dressing, bathing, transferring, mobility, and positioning.
  • Instrumental activities of daily living: including eating, toileting, grooming, dressing, bathing, transferring, mobility, and positioning.
  • Redirection and Intervention for behavior: including observation and monitoring.

PCA Program Options:

  • The Traditional PCA Option: Under this option, people receiving PCA Services obtain PCA staff through a PCA Agency which hires, trains, pays, and schedules the hours of PCA workers. This option gives In-Home Care the freedom to be flexible with what our clients wants to do, like schedule their own PCAs and have us take care of all the steps involved with hiring and firing PCAs.
  • The PCA Choice Option:
  • All PCAs who work for a client under PCA Choice are eligible to join Minnesota’s PCA Union (SEIU). In the PCA Choice program, people are able to independently hire and train the PCAs who provide their care. Under the PCA Choice option gives clients more responsibility. The client is considered the employer. This PCAs pay union dues and also vote in union matters.
  • Shared Service Option:  The Shared Care Option allows one PCA worker to help two or three individuals living in the same setting.
  • The Flexible Use Option: Under the Flexible Use Option, individuals can use their approved PCA hours flexibly within a service authorization period to accommodate their varying needs and schedules.

PCA Eligibility Recipient

  • PCA services are available to recipients of Medical Assistance through fee-for-service or managed-care plans.
  • Residing or live in Minnesota State
  • Able to identify their needs or have a responsible party act on their behalf
  • Be assessed as eligible for PCA: one dependency in an activity of daily living and/or Level I behavior
  • Be assessed as needing PCA services to live in the community
  • Manage their support staff and the delivery of their services to ensure their health and safety or have a responsible party who is able to do so
  • Develop a service plan with assistance from the lead agency assessor.
  • Have a current and approved service agreement for PCA services
  • Be able to make decisions about your own care or have someone who can make decisions for you
  • Live in a home setting. The setting may NOT be a hospital, nursing facility, intermediate care facility, health facility licensed by the Minnesota Department of Health or foster care setting licensed for more than four residents.
  • Contact In-Home Care LLC so we can determine your program eligibility
  • Assist to provide you the phone number to request a PCA Assessment:
  • We can start to train and hire the caregiver of your choice
  • At the assessment, a nurse will determine how many hours of service you are eligible to receive
  • Services begin with the PCA of your choice